pearl
/pɝl/noun, verb
pearl is spelled P-E-A-R-L: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,679th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Pearl, the name). As a noun, pearl means “Nacre; mother-of-pearl” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pearl is pearls.
How many letters and syllables are in pearl?
| Letters | 5: P-E-A-R-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 14 times per million words; the 5,679th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is pearl?
Pearl appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,679th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Pearl, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce pearl?
- UK /pɜːl/
- UK [pʰəːɫ]
- US /pɝl/
Pearl has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-pearl.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with pearl
Sounds like: purl (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with pearl?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as pearl from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹl/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: parle, lepra.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of pearl
- pearls plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pearling participle, present
- pearled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pearl mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Nacre; mother-of-pearl.
- 2
A white color inspired by the shade of pearls.
- 3
Something precious.
- 4
A capsule of gelatin or similar substance containing liquid for, e.g., medicinal application.
- 5
A whitish speck or film on the eye.
- 6
A fish allied to the turbot; the brill.
- 7
A light-colored tern.
- 8
One of the circle of tubercles which form the bur on a deer's antler.
verb
- 1
To set or adorn with pearls, or with mother-of-pearl.
- 2
To cause to resemble pearls in shape; to make into small round grains.
to pearl barley
- 3
To cause to resemble pearls in lustre or iridescence.
- 4
To resemble pearl or pearls.
- 5
To bead; to form droplets.
- 6
To hunt for pearls
to go pearling
- 7
To sink the nose of one's surfboard into the water, often on takeoff.
Used a pointed tip today and learned why I kept pearling with my round tipped board. Round noses like to dig into the water, causing frustrating wipeouts.
- 8
Of the nose of the surfboard: to sink in this manner.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pearl in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | perle , joyau , perlure , parisienne, sédanoise |
| German | Perle , Perl |
| Portuguese | pérola |
| Spanish | perla , parisienne |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does pearl come from?
Inherited from Middle English perle, from Old French perle of uncertain etymology. Probably via unattested Medieval Latin *pernula, from Latin perna (“haunch; a marine bivalve shaped like a leg of lamb”) but also derived from Medieval Latin perla, from Latin perula (“little bag”). Its typographic use follows the name given by Jean Jannon to the type used in his miniature editions of Vergil, Horace, & the New Testament in the 1620s, which were the smallest printed works to his time. Its surfing use derives from the supposed resemblance to pearl diving.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).